Inspired Feats of Running: Lisa Smith-Batchen

Are you struggling to get out for your run this morning? Feeling a little burnt out from covering all those miles yesterday? We've all been there. Sometimes it takes the story of what someone else has accomplished to get you on the move. One of my running heroes is Lisa Smith-Batchen, an ultrarunner who has competed in some of the toughest races in the world.

I first learned about Smith-Batchen in the "Running On the Sun" documentary, which profiles the 1999 running of the Badwater Ultramarathon - a 135 mile race through Death Valley to the 8360' elevation mark of Mt Whitney which takes place in July, just to make sure there is plenty of heat. Just learning that humans are capable of running that race may be enough to get you out of your chair, but Smith-Batchen took her limits even further this year.

Inspired by the work of Sister MaryBeth Lloyd, a fellow runner who has worked with AIDS Orphans Rising for the past 13 years, Smith-Batchen decided to run 310 miles in order to raise money and awareness for the important work that this group is doing. Her route stretched from Las Vegas to the start of the Badwater Ultra, included the race, and then went 10 miles further to finish at the very top of Mt Whitney. She not only completed the course, she managed to buckle the Badwater (finishing in less than 48 hours) and turn in one of the fastest splits of anyone on the last stage. She has raised over $400,000 for the project. She will complete "the 810" by returning to Death Valley in October to ride the Furnace Creek 508 - an epic bicycle ride. And to top it all off, she's a mom too.

We may not all be able to perform the kind of endurance feats that a person like Smith-Batchen can, but we can all dig deep and find out what we are capable of if we put our hearts and minds to it. So go run!